Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
E3: Transport
1.3. Contact name
Restricted from publication
1.4. Contact person function
Restricted from publication
1.5. Contact mail address
2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Restricted from publication
1.7. Contact phone number
Restricted from publication
1.8. Contact fax number
Restricted from publication
2.1. Metadata last certified
22 January 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
22 January 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
22 January 2025
3.1. Data description
This indicator is defined as the ratio between the total transport performance of passengers using the inland modes (road and rail), expressed in passenger-kilometres and GDP (chain-linked volumes, at 2015 exchange rates).
It is indexed 2015=100.
Total inland passenger transport includes road transport (transport by passenger cars and buses/coaches) and rail transport (by trains).
Rail passenger transport performance (in passenger-kilometres) data are collected according to the legal acts and road passenger transport data are provided voluntary. The indicator is updated annually.
3.2. Classification system
Not applicable
3.3. Coverage - sector
Road and rail passenger transport
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The indicator is calculated by taking the ratio between transport performance (in passenger-kilometres) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (chain-linked volumes, at 2015 exchange rates), and indexing on a single reference year (2015).
The passenger transport performance should be based on the movements on the respective national territory ('territoriality principle'), regardless of the nationality of the vehicle. However, data collection methodology for road passenger transport is not harmonised at the EU level. Data are collected on a voluntary basis, a variety of sources have been used and also estimates made. Detailed information can be found in the metadata information relating to table tran_hv_psmod on the Modal Split of passenger transport.
The indicators are based on inland transport only. Although statistics on air and sea transport are available, due to their predominantly international nature, there are conceptual difficulties in dealing with these modes in a manner consistent with the inland modes.
The units used for measuring the transport performance for passenger transport are passenger-kilometre (pkm). Passenger-kilometre represents one passenger travelling a distance of one kilometre.
The indicators are indices. The index is calculated as a composite value combining transport data series and GDP series.
3.6. Statistical population
Transport data used for the calculation of the indicators are based on the ongoing specific data collections for the different transport modes. Some data are stemming from other international sources or are estimated.
3.7. Reference area
Where possible, all data are disseminated for the EU Member States, Candidate countries and EFTA countries.
For the EU Member States, aggregates for EU totals are provided, when possible.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The time period covered is usually 2000 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Indicators are annual indices (2015=100) of the ratio of transport performance and GDP (chain-linked volumes, at 2015 exchange rates).
The units used for measuring the transport performance are passenger-kilometre (pkm). The data in the table itself are indexed ratios. (see item 3.1.)
Calendar year
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Data on road passenger transport are collected on a voluntary basis through the Eurostat/ITF/UNECE Common Questionnaire on Transport Statistics. From 2003, rail transport data are also collected through Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics, replaced by Regulation (EU) 2018/643 of the European Parliament and the Council on rail transport statistics (recast).
Where data have been unobtainable from these sources, figures have been taken from national statistical institutes, ITF, UNECE, UIC. Certain data on road passenger transport have been also estimated by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.
GDP series are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts - ESA 2010 as defined in Annex B of the Council Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
There are no specific agreements related to data sharing and exchange between Eurostat and national or international institutions. All users have equal access to statistical releases at the same time.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
See 7.1
8.1. Release calendar
The delay between reference period and data dissemination is 12-18 months.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Annual
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Normally not planned
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Normally not planned
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Please consult free data on-line or refer to contact details.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not available
10.6. Documentation on methodology
For further information on definitions used for transport, please, refer to the Glossary for transport statistics (Fifth edition). Information on methodology for collecting transport data can be found online (for example "Reference manual on rail transport statistics"),
Information on methodology for compiling GDP series can be found on the website and in the relevant metadata.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Some information for countries providing rail transport data can be found in the relevant metadata. No information is available for voluntary data collection, apart from the definitions available in the Glossary for transport statistics (Fifth edition).
11.1. Quality assurance
Common data definitions are provided in the Glossary for Transport Statistics, however due to the voluntary character of the road transport data, the methodology and concepts are not harmonised at the EU level.
Since the implementation of the legislation on rail data collection, common methodology at country level is established, and rail data is subsequently validated in Eurostat by applying different controls on the incoming data, before and after treatment.
The quality of the GDP data is assured by application of European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) concepts and by thorough validation of the data delivered by countries.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Due to the prevailing voluntary character of the road transport data collection, the methodology is not harmonised at the EU level and this should be taken into account when data are used. In addition, passenger cars, and buses and coaches in most cases do not take into account the transport performance of vehicles registered abroad. Estimates were applied for certain countries for road passenger transport, particularly for passenger cars (see also item 18.5 and 19). Some information for countries providing rail transport data can be found in the relevant metadata.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
User needs can come from international and governmental bodies, universities and research institutes.
The indicator expresses the link between economic development and passenger mobility and aims at answering question on decoupling mobility from economic growth, i.e. does the mobility of passengers increase with economic development or is an economic growth possible without an increase of passenger travel.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Eurostat does not carry out a specific satisfaction survey. Methodological issues or other aspects of further development are a subject of discussion with the relevant national authorities, other services of the Commission or, in some cases, other institutions.
12.3. Completeness
For a few countries, data have to be estimated (see also item 18.5).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Restricted.
The transport performance data are based on a large variety of statistical sources and some data gaps are filled with estimates.
The restricted accuracy of the indicator is mainly due to lack of data on transport by passenger car although it is the prevailing mode. Car passenger data is usually obtained from national surveys on passenger mobility or travel surveys, however, the survey concept, periods covered and reference population taken into account may vary among the countries.
Data are not always collected according to the "territoriality principle" (see 3.4.). Passenger cars, and buses and coaches in most cases do not take into account the transport performance of vehicles registered abroad. Another example us that some countries may report figures based on odometer readings of cars registered in their country. However, these data would then include transport which may have been performed abroad, and on the other hand would not cover transport performance of foreign vehicles on their territory and even though the two elements may partly compensate each other, the "territoriality principle" is not applied.
13.2. Sampling error
See 13.1
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not available
14.1. Timeliness
The delay between reference period and data dissemination is 15-18 months.
14.2. Punctuality
Since the underlying road transport data collection for this indicator is not harmonised at EU level, the punctuality varies.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Comparability across countries is considerably restricted because neither concepts nor data collection methodologies for passenger transport by road are harmonized at the EU level.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability over time for road transport statistics is restricted as sources for a country may vary during the covered period due to the survey methodology changes. In addition, some countries stated that for certain periods data are based on benchmark surveys, while for the rest of the covered period they are estimated.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Detailed transport data, collected according to the legal acts or on voluntary basis are available online per modes of transport.
The indicators are composite values combining series on few transport modes and GDP series thus the cost and burden is difficult to estimate.
17.1. Data revision - policy
These indicators are based on data already disseminated in Eurostat online database by the following domains:
rail_pa,
road_pa_mov
GDP series
The revision policy is therefore effectively the revision policy of those domains.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The revision practice effectively corresponds to the revision practice of the domains listed under sub‑concept 17.1 (data revision – policy).
18.1. Source data
Data on passenger transport performance are collected through the Eurostat/ITF/UNECE Common Questionnaire on Transport Statistics, and from 2003, rail transport data are also collected through the Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics and subsequant Regulation (EU) 2018/643 of the European Parliament and the Council on rail transport statistics (recast) . The Common Questionnaire is accompanied by a Glossary for transport statistics.
Where data have been unobtainable from these sources, figures have been taken from national statistical institutes, ITF, UNECE or estimated.
Techniques of collection for the underlying datasets might differ from one mode of transport to another, depending on the methodology applied and organisation of the work in the countries. When no official data are available, other statistical sources or estimates are used.
18.4. Data validation
Transport data series used for the calculation of these indicators are, despite its heterogeneous character, subject to plausibility checks. The data validation process is organised according to the data management applied for the different modes of transport.
18.5. Data compilation
Data on passenger cars and buses and coaches are estimated for several countries (passenger cars: BG, EE, IE, EL, CY, LU, MT, PT, RO, SI; Busses and coaches: IE, EL, CY, LU, MT, SI). Estimates are disseminated in the pocketbook ‘EU transport in figures, available on the website of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission.
In order to estimate data, first the vehicle use (passenger-km/vehicle stock) for year ‘n-1’ and ‘n’ is computed. Then, the average growth rate for the vehicle use for the countries with available data is calculated. Furthermore, in order to obtain the values (for vehicle use) for year ‘n’ for the countries with missing data (for all other countries except Ireland), this average growth rate is applied to the values for year ‘n-1’. Finally, in order to obtain the passenger-km, the estimated pkm/stock for year ‘n’ is multiplied with the values for vehicle stock for year ‘n’. The estimates for Ireland are based on the TRACCS project. Benchmarking of the estimates is done in cases when data became available for a country.
European aggregates are calculated as the indices on the basis of the total transport performance at the necessary level of aggregation (sum of the inland transport performance of the countries being part of the aggregate) and the GDP series.
The compilation of these aggregates has been done for years for which data for all countries, being part of these aggregates, were available. If, as exception, an estimate has been used for completing the series necessary for the calculation of the aggregate, this is stated in the footnotes.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable
United Kingdom: Passenger cars and buses and coaches: Great Britain data.
This indicator is defined as the ratio between the total transport performance of passengers using the inland modes (road and rail), expressed in passenger-kilometres and GDP (chain-linked volumes, at 2015 exchange rates).
It is indexed 2015=100.
Total inland passenger transport includes road transport (transport by passenger cars and buses/coaches) and rail transport (by trains).
Rail passenger transport performance (in passenger-kilometres) data are collected according to the legal acts and road passenger transport data are provided voluntary. The indicator is updated annually.
22 January 2025
The indicator is calculated by taking the ratio between transport performance (in passenger-kilometres) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (chain-linked volumes, at 2015 exchange rates), and indexing on a single reference year (2015).
The passenger transport performance should be based on the movements on the respective national territory ('territoriality principle'), regardless of the nationality of the vehicle. However, data collection methodology for road passenger transport is not harmonised at the EU level. Data are collected on a voluntary basis, a variety of sources have been used and also estimates made. Detailed information can be found in the metadata information relating to table tran_hv_psmod on the Modal Split of passenger transport.
The indicators are based on inland transport only. Although statistics on air and sea transport are available, due to their predominantly international nature, there are conceptual difficulties in dealing with these modes in a manner consistent with the inland modes.
The units used for measuring the transport performance for passenger transport are passenger-kilometre (pkm). Passenger-kilometre represents one passenger travelling a distance of one kilometre.
The indicators are indices. The index is calculated as a composite value combining transport data series and GDP series.
Transport data used for the calculation of the indicators are based on the ongoing specific data collections for the different transport modes. Some data are stemming from other international sources or are estimated.
Where possible, all data are disseminated for the EU Member States, Candidate countries and EFTA countries.
For the EU Member States, aggregates for EU totals are provided, when possible.
Calendar year
Restricted.
The transport performance data are based on a large variety of statistical sources and some data gaps are filled with estimates.
The restricted accuracy of the indicator is mainly due to lack of data on transport by passenger car although it is the prevailing mode. Car passenger data is usually obtained from national surveys on passenger mobility or travel surveys, however, the survey concept, periods covered and reference population taken into account may vary among the countries.
Data are not always collected according to the "territoriality principle" (see 3.4.). Passenger cars, and buses and coaches in most cases do not take into account the transport performance of vehicles registered abroad. Another example us that some countries may report figures based on odometer readings of cars registered in their country. However, these data would then include transport which may have been performed abroad, and on the other hand would not cover transport performance of foreign vehicles on their territory and even though the two elements may partly compensate each other, the "territoriality principle" is not applied.
The units used for measuring the transport performance are passenger-kilometre (pkm). The data in the table itself are indexed ratios. (see item 3.1.)
Data on passenger cars and buses and coaches are estimated for several countries (passenger cars: BG, EE, IE, EL, CY, LU, MT, PT, RO, SI; Busses and coaches: IE, EL, CY, LU, MT, SI). Estimates are disseminated in the pocketbook ‘EU transport in figures, available on the website of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission.
In order to estimate data, first the vehicle use (passenger-km/vehicle stock) for year ‘n-1’ and ‘n’ is computed. Then, the average growth rate for the vehicle use for the countries with available data is calculated. Furthermore, in order to obtain the values (for vehicle use) for year ‘n’ for the countries with missing data (for all other countries except Ireland), this average growth rate is applied to the values for year ‘n-1’. Finally, in order to obtain the passenger-km, the estimated pkm/stock for year ‘n’ is multiplied with the values for vehicle stock for year ‘n’. The estimates for Ireland are based on the TRACCS project. Benchmarking of the estimates is done in cases when data became available for a country.
European aggregates are calculated as the indices on the basis of the total transport performance at the necessary level of aggregation (sum of the inland transport performance of the countries being part of the aggregate) and the GDP series.
The compilation of these aggregates has been done for years for which data for all countries, being part of these aggregates, were available. If, as exception, an estimate has been used for completing the series necessary for the calculation of the aggregate, this is stated in the footnotes.
Data on passenger transport performance are collected through the Eurostat/ITF/UNECE Common Questionnaire on Transport Statistics, and from 2003, rail transport data are also collected through the Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics and subsequant Regulation (EU) 2018/643 of the European Parliament and the Council on rail transport statistics (recast) . The Common Questionnaire is accompanied by a Glossary for transport statistics.
Where data have been unobtainable from these sources, figures have been taken from national statistical institutes, ITF, UNECE or estimated.
The delay between reference period and data dissemination is 15-18 months.
Comparability across countries is considerably restricted because neither concepts nor data collection methodologies for passenger transport by road are harmonized at the EU level.
Comparability over time for road transport statistics is restricted as sources for a country may vary during the covered period due to the survey methodology changes. In addition, some countries stated that for certain periods data are based on benchmark surveys, while for the rest of the covered period they are estimated.
